Name: THE SCORPION Source: Republic Pictures, "The Adventures of Captain Marvel," 1941, 12-chapter serial Val Char Cost 15 STR 5 18 DEX 24 15 CON 10 15 BODY 10 18 INT 8 13 EGO 6 20 PRE 10 10 COM 0 8 PD 5 4 ED 0 4 SPD 12 7 REC 0 30 END 0 31 STUN 0 Characteristic Rolls: STR: 12-, DEX: 13-, CON: 12-, INT: 13-, EGO: 12-, PER: 13- Run: 10", Swim: 2", Jump: 3", Lift: 200 kg Cost Powers END/Roll Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll Dirty Infighting Maneuvers 4 Punch (Martial Strike), +2 DCV, STR+2D6, Strike 5 Roundhouse (Offensive Strike), -2 OCV, +1 DCV, STR+4D6, Strike 4 Low Blow (Nerve Strike), -1 OCV, +1 DCV, 2D6 NND 4 Disarm (Martial Disarm), -1 OCV, +1 DCV, Disarm, +10 STR to Roll 4 Kidney Blow (Killing Strike), -2 OCV, 1/2D6 HKA 3 Abidexterity 5 Defense Manuever 3 Fast Draw 13- 8 +4" Running (Total 10") 3 Acting 13- 3 Bugging (Eavesdropping) 13- 3 Concealment 13- 3 Conversation 13- 9 Disguise 14- 3 Interrogation 13- 2 LS: Mandarin, fluent 1 LS: Mongolian, basic 1 LS: Uygur, basic 7 Mimicry 13- 3 Oratory 13- 3 Persuasion 13- 9 Shadowing 14- 3 Sleight of Hand 13- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Streetwise 13- 2 Archeology 11- 2 CK: Campaign CIty 11- 2 Familiar with Small Arms 2 Familiar with Common Melee Weapons 8 +1 level with All Combat 100+ Disadvantages 15 Secret ID 20 Hunted 11-: The Heroes 20 Ruthless 20 Must get the lenses 10 Vengeful 20 Normal Characteristics Maximums OCV: 6; DCV: 6; ECV: 4; Mental Def.: 0 ; Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 PD/rPD: 8/0; ED/rED: 4/0 Costs: Char.: 90 Disad.: 105 Powers: + 115 Base: + 100 Exp.: + Total: = 205 Total: = 205 Background: When the Malcolm archeological expedition began excavating a sealed cavern tomb in steppes of south-central Asia, local tribesmen attacked, claiming the Americans had offended the volcano god Scorpio. The scientists survived the attack and upon opening the tomb found a segmented golden scorpion, almost a yard in length, with thick, round, crystal lenses attached to each of its feet. Dr. Malcolm quickly discovered that by aligning the lenses he could transform common rocks into gold -- or vaporize them. Awed by the potential and danger represented by the artifact, Malcolm insisted that the lenses be removed and distributed among the expedition members so that no one individual could harness its power. That night an eerie robed figure appeared in the tribal village claiming to be the incarnation of Scorpio and urging the horsemen to avenge him. During the raid the golden scorpion was stolen. Malcolm and his companions succeeded in returning to the United States, but they soon began receiving letters and radio messages demanding that they surrender the lenses to a mysterious criminal who called himself the Scorpion. By kidnapping, torture, and murder, the Scorpion was gradually able to recover enough lenses to turn the scorpion artifact into a functioning weapon. However, he still seeks the remaining lenses in order to unleash its ultimate power. Powers and Abilities The Scorpion is the archtypal movie serial mastermind. The threat he poses to human civilization is so great that the ancient wizard Shazam created the hero Captian Marvel specifically to combat him. The Scorpion is cunning, resourceful, and is backed by a loyal army of goons both in the U.S. and in Asia. Since the artifact turns stones into gold, he has limitless wealth. Simple robbery and theft are beneath him. The Scorpion wants power, specifically the power the artifact's lenses will give him, and he will ruthlessly destroy anyone who purposefully or unintentionally gets in his way. He has been known to put himself at a seeming disadvantage in order to lure opponents into a well-laid trap. According to police reports, his victims are frequently found with a small golden scorpion placed somewhere on their bodies. He has no superhuman abilities -- the heroes could beat him to a pulp if they could ever get their hands on him. They never will. The Scorpion is too clever to allow himself to be captured or identified. He shows up only when his thugs have completed his dirty work, then retreats after having taunted or threatened the good guys. If they manage to corner him, he's sure to have a secret escape route. The figure seated behind a desk will turn out to be a mannequin equipped with a loudspeaker. The shape seen at the French door will prove to be a cleverly reflected projection. He has hidden lairs scattered throughout the city. He's a master of disguise and mimicry. Dr. Malcolm has voiced suspicions that a surviving member of the expedition is the Scorpion, but the group's traps and ruses haven't succeeded in exposing him. For game masters, this uncertainty is the key to portraying the Scorpion. He could be anybody -- including Dr. Malcolm, one of the policemen investigating the scientists' deaths, or the guy at the diner who sold the heroes this morning's coffee. Even Captain Marvel, who has the wisdom of Solomon, hasn't figured it out. If the heroes become certain a particular individual is the Scorpion, that person will invariably have an airtight alibi for the fiend's latest outrage or will be the victim of the fiend's latest outrage. Anonymity is the Scorpion's ultimate advantage. The reason the Scorpion seems to know the heroes' plans and daily routines in advance is that he is someone they associate with on a regular basis. He could be a business associate, a co-worker, a deacon at their church, the man who runs the news stand across the street from their apartment building. He is using this close proximity to spy on them and thwart their attempts to find him. Once the good guys figure this out, the game master should milk it for all it is worth by surrounding them with suspicious little coincidences. The acquaintance they were meeting for lunch arrives late just after the Scorpion's most recent crime has been announced on the radio. They open an office door to find the secretary lurking behind it as if she had been eavesdropping. Their professor comes to class with a bandaged hand the day after they succeed in winging the Scorpion in a firefight. Naturally, each of these individuals will have perfectly reasonable explanations to offer. Another reason for the Scorpion's success so far is his level-headedness. He's calculating, calm, and patient. He'll get even with the heroes, all right, when the timing and opportunity are to his well-considered advantage. Unlike other would-be world conquerors, he's not a megalomanic who raves about his master plan or a sadistic killer who slays for the fun of it. The Scorpion won't hesitate to employ violence if it serves his ends, but he won't waste the effort if it doesn't. Height: cm (6' 6"), Weight: kg (175 lbs), Sex: Male, Race: Caucasian Appearance: The Scorpion is draped in a flowing, ankle-length, red robe with yellow scorpion icons on each shoulder. His face is concealed by a cloth mask with round eye holes that hangs to his shoulders. It has a yellow scorpion icon on the forehead. It is assumed that the Scorpion is a Caucasian male, but can we be sure, really? The Golden Scorpion: The artifact's appearance is described above. In game terms, it is a massive Multipower with fixed slots that include an Energy Blast capable of turning a mountainside into a river of lava, a Major Transformation of matter into gold, and a second Major Transformation defined as matter annihilation. The point total for the Multipower increases as the number of lenses inserted in the artifact increases. Presumably, other slots would be added to the Multipower as well. There are a total of ten lenses; the Scorpion currently possesses four of them. Because of this variability during the course of a campaign, I will leave the final calculation of point totals to the game master. However, the artifact should have the following limitations: -2 Independent, -1 Obvious Accessible Focus, -1/2 Bulky, -1/2 Full Phase to Activate (it takes time to adjust all those lenses). ================================================================================ Hero System write-up by Kevin Scrivner